The Walking Dead star Ross Marquand has revealed he has been diagnosed with cancer.

Sharing the update on his Instagram account, Marquand told his followers that he’d received the diagnosis after getting a growth on his nose checked out. He encouraged fans to take care of their health.

“Well folks, I finally decided to listen- to family, friends, and fans,” he wrote alongside a series of images, which included his nose after surgery and the growth after it had been removed.

“Countless people told me to get my nose checked over the past four years and I always said I was too busy and couldn’t possibly find the time…which was partially true. My schedule has been absolutely bonkers for longer than I can remember.”

He continued: “But guess what? I let this problem fester and it grew into a cancer. I’m told this was one of the ‘better’ cancers to get, but left unchecked it could’ve become much, much worse.”

The actor went on to explain that while he’s usually “a very private person” he had decided to share the diagnosis with fans to encourage them seek help for medical concerns.

“I hesitate to share this because I’m usually a very private person but I’m posting this to encourage all of you to prioritize your health – be that physical, mental, or emotional. I clearly did not, and now I’m playing catch up,” Marquand added.

“Hopefully I’ll have many more days to learn and grow- to be healthier, to be better…but nothing in this life is certain.

“Get yourself sorted and please don’t wait like I did. Lots of love to everyone for their kind words of support and encouragement, happy holidays, and oh yeah… #f**kcancer”

Marquand is best known for his role as Aaron in the long-running series The Walking Dead, having joined the show in season 5.

The actor has since gone on to appear in the MCU as Red Skull in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. Marquand also voiced the character in the animated series What If…?. Recently, he was cast in the lead role in the upcoming film Tuesday’s Flu.